we are the people who protect the most vulnerable in society from harm, and yet we stand on the brink of abandoning that role. outside, there was relief for supporters of the bill, but deep disappointment for opponents. of course i'm gutted. i'm exhausted. i think everybody is, you know, and we just know we have a fight ahead. on a momentous day in westminster, we'll ask what happens next. and also on the programme: polls have just closed in ireland's general election.

and the gleaming interior of paris's notre dame cathedral, repaired and restored after a devastating fire. and stay with us here on bbc news for continuing coverage and analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and around the world. good evening. after five hours of moving, passionate yet respectful debate, mps have voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying in england and wales. the historic decision came after many mps had shared emotional personal stories — others had urged an improvement in end—of—life care. the bill passed with 330 mps in favour and 275 against —

a majority of 55. the proposed law must now have further rounds of debate. under the plans, terminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months would be able to seek help to die — if two doctors and a high courtjudge approve. they would need to wait 1a days before taking lethal medication themselves. tonight, we'll look at how this landmark day unfolded, and our political editor chris mason and medical editor fergus walsh are here to look at the implications of the vote. our first report is from our deputy political editor vicki young. all: our voice, our choice! they came to westminster to have their say. to make their final pleas to mp5. assistance to live, not to die. powerful voices and personal experiences on both sides of this debate. don't do this. it is the wrong way to go.

they are playing roulette with our lives in the future, and they should stop. but for others, it's about choosing the way they'll die. jenny has terminal cancer. changing the law to find a more humane way to die, to allow my children to see me in a peaceful state, would be so much betterfor them. order, order! this isn't a government bill. it's been introduced by labour mp kim leadbeater, so mps have no party orders to follow. any one of us or our loved ones could be unfortunate or unlucky enough to receive a terminal diagnosis, and i struggle to see how it is fair orjust to deny anyone the autonomy, dignity and personal choice that we might want to take control of our final weeks. i agree with the honourable gentleman... but many mps worry that some terminally ill patients will be pressured into taking this path. people do not generally write letters to sick relatives urging them to consider assisted suicide,

and then put the letter on file. and coercion in the family context can be about not what you say, but about what you don't say. mary kelly foy spoke about maria, her late disabled daughter. i am filled with dread and fear- for those other people like maria, who are non—verbal and don't have that capacity. _ and what might happen to others like maria if they aren't _ loved and cared for. and there are limits to palliative care... others focused on terminally ill patients whose pain can't be alleviated. currently for these patients, we can offer no agency over their end, no alternative to this terrifying death. can we truly say that's compassionate? if we don't pass the bill today, we are cornering all those people. we are trapping them with the law against their disease and consigning

them to an end of torture and degradation which they do not wish to go through. but whatever happens today, terminal people will still take their own lives. all we are deciding today is how. the patchy provision of end—of—life care was a concern for several mps. you can be certain, and i mean absolutely certain, that those nhs trusts with the weakest palliative care offer will be those with the highest incidence of people choosing to die. in other words, it was not really their choice at all. when i was six years old... as a child, marie tidball was in hospital and in pain. she recalls telling her parents she wanted to die. that moment made it clear to me that if this bill was about intolerable suffering, i would not be voting for it. but that moment also gave me a glimpse of how i would want to live my death, just as i've lived my life —

empowered by choices available to me, living that death with the dignity and respect. this was the kind of debate that doesn't happen often here — personal, emotional, and with repercussions for millions. order, order! the result was heard in silence by mps crammed into the commons. the ayes to the right, 330. the noes to the left, 275. for the mp behind the bill, there was a sense of relief. a bit overwhelmed, to be honest. that's been a really emotional day, on top of an emotional number of months. um, and i never even wanted to be an mp! but, look, we've shown parliament in its best light today. very respectful, very compassionate debate, irrespective of the different views that people hold. this bill has passed its first hurdle. but there will now be several months of debate as mp5 pore over the details.

it heralds a huge societal change in the way that the terminally ill approach their final days. today mps approved the principle of assisted dying. now parliament and the government must find a way to make it work in practice. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. as we saw, crowds of campaigners for and against the bill gathered outside parliament during the debate. our medical editor fergus walsh heard their reactions to the result. a truly historic moment. cheering. and look what it means to campaigners for assisted dying. among them, elise burns, who is terminally ill with advanced breast cancer. i'm over the moon, but i'm in complete shock. what does this mean for you personally? probably for me personally, um... it is going to take a couple of years, so it is unlikely i will get to die at home.

but it means the world that people i love and thousands of people will get to choose how they die. christie arnsten, who also has advanced breast cancer, was here with her husband. i am so joyous. i believe we are on the path to something compassionate and caring, and something that so many people will benefit from. and what about for you personally, christie? for me, i for the first time have a little bit of hope i might make it in time to actually use this. i dare to dream that that might be the case. this is a hugely important moment for the terminally ill, their families and for society. it sets england and wales on a path to join countries like australia, new zealand and some us states which offer choice at the end of life.

for supporters, it's about compassion, autonomy and dignity. for opponents, it's a dangerous step which will undermine the rights of the vulnerable. the ayes to the right, 330... disability rights activist liz carr says the fight to stop the bill goes on. of course i'm gutted. i'm exhausted. i think everybody is, you know, and we just know we have to fight ahead. yes, they have spoken today. it's not the end of the road, it doesn't mean it's legalised, so we still have chances to go, listen, these are the very real concerns. daniel dieppe�*s mum died of breast cancer two years ago. from what i saw with my mother, when she was in her last - six months to live, _ she was exceedingly vulnerable. every time she went i to see her oncologist, she found out how long she had left to live, and in that— most vulnerable moment,

for a doctor to say to you, j "why don't you consider killing yourself?" - is not something that i think should be on the statute - books of this country. the placards are being packed away for now, but the passionate debate will continue. if the bill becomes law, it could be another two to three years before the first assisted death in england and wales. fergus walsh, bbc news, westminster. let's hear briefly from one of the most prominent supporters of the bill — the television presenter esther rantzen, who has terminal cancer. she told the bbc any change in the law is unlikely to come in time for her, but welcomed what it may bring for others. people will make their own choice, and if it's available to them and they choose an assisted death, and they're six months away from dying in any case, i think it's right, i think it's fair, i think it'sjust.

esther rantzen esther ra ntzen on esther rantzen on radio four there. well, let's talk to chris mason and fergus walsh. fergus, this isn't legal yet, but theres a lot of practical details still to sort out? absolutely, and the government which has been neutral on assisted dying will now have to engage at the committee stage to work out how this is going to work. how are you going to offer an assisted dying service? there is a presumption it will be on the nhs, but what impact will that have on health care? what about the role of hospices? witch doctors will volunteer for this? role of hospices? witch doctors will volunteerfor this? what role of hospices? witch doctors will volunteer for this? what training will they get? what about the impact on thejudiciary? in oregon, nine out of ten assisted deaths are at home, but there are nine out of —— my eye doctor does not have to be present when the fatal dose is

swallowed, but under this bill, the doctor must be there until the patient dies. no one wants to see it being easier to get an assisted death rather than a hospice bed all good end—of—life care. chris — no guarantee this will become law, but if it does this is quite a moment. it is, and parliament today was at its thoughtful, expansive, passionate best. it wore the magnitude on all sides of this with a deep _ magnitude on all sides of this with a deep self—awareness, and why? whilst _ a deep self—awareness, and why? whilst yes— a deep self—awareness, and why? whilst yes as you say there is some way to— whilst yes as you say there is some way to go— whilst yes as you say there is some way to go in— whilst yes as you say there is some way to go in this debate yet, many were _ way to go in this debate yet, many were aware — way to go in this debate yet, many were aware of the potential historical parallels to the big social— historical parallels to the big social changes of the past. this is bbc one. the mid—1960s, and it's soon clear, rathervividly, what panorama is talking about. in two and a half hours from now, we shall know whether or not hanging

for murder is likely to be abolished in great britain. just look at the banners here. nearly 60 years on, there are at least some parallels with some of those seen today. then, as now, the conversation about the state's role in death. millions are asking, - is it civilised to kill by law? does it really act as a deterrent? is it right to ask any human . being to carry out the killing? hanging should not be abolished because i think that if people are allowed to go along and kill others that they should pay the death penalty. personally, i don't feel that anybody has the right to take away another person's life. in 1967, david, now lord steel, introduced the abortion act, also via a private members bill, the same mechanism now being used for assisted dying. i mean, a child hasn't been born, has no soul, and therefore it has no life, whereas a mother has. as a roman catholic i think every child should have his

chance or her chance and go to heaven, and i would willingly sacrifice my life to give a child a chance. and in the 21st century, and with colour telly, a contemporary social change. the legalisation of gay marriage in 2014. putting this through parliament will cause problems culturally for teachers, for vicars, for priests, all religions. to upgrade to marriage from a civil union simply because... because we want to have the same equality as everybody else who can get married. we want to have the same legal rights and everything. _ mps can always get rid of laws their predecessors have passed and today's mps here have not yet guaranteed assisted dying will

become law. but it has never been closer. it is worth emphasising that there is still_ it is worth emphasising that there is still some way to go on assisted dying, _ is still some way to go on assisted dying, but— is still some way to go on assisted dying, but there is the potential for an_ dying, but there is the potential for an era — dying, but there is the potential for an era defining change to the law where — for an era defining change to the law where parliamentarians tilt society — law where parliamentarians tilt society in — law where parliamentarians tilt society in a direction from which it may never— society in a direction from which it may never turn back.— may never turn back. thank you, chris mason _ may never turn back. thank you, chris mason and _ may never turn back. thank you, chris mason and fergus - may never turn back. thank you, chris mason and fergus walsh. l and christian fraser will have more on this on newsnight on bbc two shortly. yes, we will have plenty of analysis on that extraordinary day in parliament. we have got more from dame esther rantzen and from liz carr for the other side. newsnight at 10:30pm on bbc two and the iplayer. christian, thank you very much. now a look at the rest of the day's news. polls havejust closed in ireland's general election and the main three parties — fianna fail,

fine gael and sein fein — are neck and neck with just a couple of percentage points between them in terms of first preference votes. chris page is in dublin for us. chris, bring us right up to date. well, the general election count begins at nine in the morning, and the exit poll suggests it will be tight, tense and very unpredictable. the poll indicates that sinn fein has a very narrow lead in the race for first preference votes, but it is very close indeed between the three main parties led by the three contenders to be the taoiseach. they are simon harris of fine gael who has been on the job forjust seven months, his main coalition partner micheal martin who was also taoiseach earlier in the coalition government's turn and mary lou mcdonald, sinn fein president, and her party has been the main opposition group in the irish parliament since the election in 2020. during that time sinn fein has also become the biggest party in

northern ireland, and it would push hard for a referendum on irish unity by 2030 if it did take power here in dublin. but even if sinn fein were to win the most seats in the irish parliament for the first time, it could well still have an uphill task in assembling a coalition of other left—wing parties which would command an overall majority. so the results of that exit poll from the irish national broadcaster and trinity college dublin put sinn fein on 21.1%, fine gael on 21% and fianna fail on 19.5%. we should get the total number may be by tomorrow evening, but then the counting will continue on into sunday when transfers, second, third and fourth preferences will come into play, and the margins of victory and defeat could be very small indeed. all right, chris, thank you very much.

downing street says the prime minister accepted louise haigh's resignation as transport secretary after further information emerged relating to a criminal offence to which she pleaded guilty more than ten years ago, before she was an mp. louise haigh had told keir starmer she didn't want to be a �*distraction'. here's iain watson. this is how the fate of a mobile phone a decade ago called time on louise haigh's cabinet career today. keir starmer accepted her resignation after news of a spent conviction became public. 15 years ago, she was a special constable, but the roots of her resignation can be traced back to when she contacted police in 2013. she was a victim of a mugging and told officers her work phone was missing, but it later turned up at her home. she said she'd made a mistake. she pled guilty to a fraud offence, she says, on her lawyer's advice, which she now regrets. louise haigh's friends claim the prime minister threw the ex transport secretary under the proverbial bus because, they say, he knew the full story of her conviction before he appointed her to the shadow cabinet, never mind the actual cabinet. and they accuse him of not being willing to spend political capital defending her.

it feels, at least, like he's panicked in the face of some media attack on one of the most effective cabinet ministers he's got. i mean, she's already steered through legislation to bring the railways into public ownership. she's getting on with reregulating the buses. but now her fraud conviction has come to light, the conservatives are questioning why keir starmer appointed her in the first place. it sounds like keir starmer appointed her in full knowledge of this background. so was that the right decision? i think most of my constituents would think that that was a questionable decision. but downing street say the prime minister only accepted her resignation when further information emerged. they won't specify what this is. what we do know is she didn't inform the relevant civil servants of her offence when she became a cabinet minister, and i'm told she had resigned from the insurance giant aviva, her employer, when the work phone went missing. it had been carrying out an internal investigation, though the company

itself won't comment. louise haigh didn't always see eye to eye with keir starmer, but it was past events and not current performance that derailed her cabinet career. iain watson, bbc news. protesters have been out on the streets in georgia for another night of demonstrations, after the country's government suspended talks aboutjoining the european union. critics accuse the governing georgian dream party of trying to move the country away from the eu and closer to russia. our russia editor steve rosenberg has travelled to the capital tbilisi and is there for us tonight. steve, what is happening? that is the georgian parliament building behind me. there were thousands of people in front of it earlier tonight. the police have pushed the crowds away, including with the use of water cannon. but

there are still pockets of protesters down the road. there is a stand—off going on between protesters who are letting off fireworks and building barricades. there is another one there. the protesters are furious because the government here has taken a decision to suspend georgia's bid tojoin government here has taken a decision to suspend georgia's bid to join the european union, even though the aspiration tojoin the european union, even though the aspiration to join the eu is enshrined in georgia's constitution. the protesters we were talking to were saying things like george's government is russia's government and accuse the georgian government of being in the pay of the kremlin. the authorities here deny that but there seems to be a crucial moment for georgia because for more than 20 years this country has been on the path to western integration. there has been talk aboutjoining nato, talk aboutjoining the european union. that now seems to be on hold. although for some time now brussels has accused the authorities in georgia of backtracking on

democracy. georgia of backtracking on democracy-— georgia of backtracking on democra . ,, ., . democracy. steve, thanks so much. steve rosenberg _ democracy. steve, thanks so much. steve rosenberg in _ democracy. steve, thanks so much. steve rosenberg in tbilisi. - here, more people have come forward with allegations that the tv presenter gregg wallace made inappropriate sexual comments while working on a number of programmes. yesterday, following a bbc news investigation, the production company which makes masterchef said gregg wallace would no longer be working on the show while the claims are investigated. his lawyers called the accusations "entirely false". noor nanji reports. he's the colourful host of some of britain's most—loved shows, best known as the face of masterchef. chefs, we havejust three minutes. last night he was on our screens, but earlier in the day, it had been decided by the programme bosses that gregg wallace would step away from further filming after bbc news approached him with allegations from 13 people about inappropriate comments across 17 years. adam, not his real name, worked on a travel show with wallace in 2022. gregg wallace would say, i love

spanking, multiple times a day, and he talked about threesomes with prostitutes in front of us, including female crew members. he would also single in on the younger girls in the team making sexually lewd jokes. the comments were relentless. james, not his real name, worked on masterchef back in 2005. during a tasting of one of the contestant's dishes and gregg suddenly comes in and says, i know what this reminds me of. it's me aunt's bleep. do you think that they were just jokes? these aren'tjustjokes. this goes way beyond what would be acceptable in any conventional workplace. the allegations come at a difficult time for the bbc. last month, it announced details of a review into preventing abuses of power, with its chair saying there continues to be a sense that powerful people get away with it. bbc news is editorially independent from the wider organisation. we have continued to investigate,

with more people coming forward. wallace's lawyers strongly deny any sexually harassing behaviour took place. but tonight, the charity ambitious about autism, has dropped him as an ambassador in light of the allegations. noor nanji, bbc news. the bank santander says it's seeing an increasing number of 18— to 2a—year—olds being scammed into laundering money. as part of the bbc�*s scam safe week, radio one's newsbeat has been looking into what's called money mule fraud — when someone's bank account is used in a chain of transactions to transfer funds linked to criminals. money mules can be given long prison sentences and be banned from having a bank account for six years. pete allison reports. so i sent £500 and they made me £5,000 back. this guy is a genius. promises of quick cash all over social media.

six grand today. i cannot believe it. but it's all a scam, and it's breaking the law. so the people who respond to these adverts, sometimes known as money mules, their bank accounts are used by criminals to move money in a chain of transactions, making it more difficult for authorities to track. people like deray. he'd seen a friend posting on social media about money they'd made. it was about flashy cars, for example. he allowed that person to put £4,000 in his bank account. the plan? he'd withdraw it the next day, hand it over, and keep a bit for himself. he followed his friends instructions, but then his bank account was shut down. you're unable to use a bank account for at least six years, so you can't get credit. you can't get a loan or mortgage. derai had been blacklisted by a fraud prevention service used by many of the uk's top banks.

ifelt, why i have i done it? i felt a bit ashamed. although derai wasn't prosecuted, he had to appeal to financial authorities repeatedly to have a bank account again. so why do people do it? this video is used to show students how money mules can be recruited in person as well as online. so basically i've got these mates whojust put money into your account. they keep it there for a bit and they take it back out, but they leave you with a bit of a cut. it's not always easy to spot the scam. they're not bad kids i that want to do harm. you know, if i went up to them and said, "go and mug that - old lady," they'd go, "absolutely not. - i'm not a criminal." but if i said, "well, . i'll tell you what, just let me put that money in your account. - you can take a little bit for helping me out." i that doesn't feel like a criminal. banks say the number of young people involved is going up. we often might find out, maybe a few years later, when someone realises the red flags that we put

on their account or on their credit footprint essentially mean they lose access to the loan they want, or maybe even a job they're trying to get. but by that point, they've become linked to organised crime like drug dealing, human trafficking and terrorism, and at the same time been scammed into destroying their own future. pete allison, bbc news. the gleaming, restored interior of paris's notre dame cathedral has been revealed, five years after it was devastated by fire. france's president macron took a tour of the cathedral, praising the craft of those who'd worked on the £580 million project. our correspondent andrew harding was there. the scaffolding has come down and like a burns patient shedding her bandages, notre dame is revealed today — whole again after years of delicate surgery. inside, the cathedral is a dazzle of light.

the ash, debris and centuries of accumulated grime, all gone. france's president emmanuel macron ushering in the cameras this morning for the first time since the fire, and revelling in a risky promise kept — to rebuild this broken miracle of stone, glass and timber in just five years. macron thanked the team responsible for saving the soul of france. translation: we were told it wasn't possible, _ that it was crazy, we do it wrong. that it was crazy, we'd do it wrong. but you came together with determination and you achieved what seemed impossible. it was late on april 15th, 2019 that notre dame burst into flames. it's still not clear if a cigarette or an electrical fault was to blame. the spire's collapse prompting a global groan of anguish, and then a collective

flood of generosity. the french state, which owns the cathedral, hired 2,000 craftsmen — using new and ancient technologies to patch up the gargoyles, restore the famous bells, clean acres of stained glass and carve 1,200 oak trees to replace notre dame's mediaeval roof beams. this is a profound, rousing moment for all of france. at a time of deepening political polarisation, the rebirth of notre dame is a reminder of what this society can achieve when it pulls together. andrew harding, bbc news, paris. in women's football, wales' hopes of qualifying for euro 2025 are still alive after a 1—1 draw against the republic of ireland. scotland and northern ireland were also in action — jo currie has been watching.

ready to go... an evening that could define history in wales. their women's side desperate to grab the occasion by the horns and take a huge step towards their first major tournament. the republic of ireland, though, equally determined to reach a maiden euros. on a nervy night, it was wales who struck first. lily woodham finding herself on the end of a well—worked piece. a huge moment in front of theirfans. but they were pegged back before the break. ruesha littlejohn with a big vision. a shot from 35 yards that was always dipping, but olivia clark will feel she should have done better here. as time ticked on, tempers flared. ireland came closest to a late winner, but this time there was no way past clark. 1—1 the final score, both teams' hopes of qualifying still very much alive. the team with the trickiest task on the night was northern ireland. hosting norway, they were on the end of a crushing 4—0 defeat that all but ends their hopes of reaching switzerland next summer.